The Philadelphia Eagles steal Nakobe Dean in the third round

If you wrote it in a mock draft, folks would call you crazy, but do you know what? The NFL Draft is a crazy, crazy event, and Nakobe Dean is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Life, my friends, is good.

After being mocked anywhere from the middle to bottom of the first round for much of the offseason, Dean, the reigning Butkus Award winner, dropped out of the first and second rounds entirely before slipping all the way to pick 83, right into the welcoming arms of Howie Roseman – just like he planned it.

That’s right, after some folks chewed out Philly’s long-time GM for selecting Cam Jurgens 51st overall picks, when Dean was still on the board, the undersized yet supremely talented linebacker will man the second-level of the Eagles’ secondary for years to come, lining up right behind his collegiate teammate Jordan Davis.

Will Dean start in Week 1? Only time will tell. What position will he even play? Is he a Will, or is crafty enough to overcome his size limitations and become a long-time starter at Mike? Again, we’ll have to see, but do you know what? None of that matters at the moment; Nakobe Dean is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and that’s pretty darn cool.

The Philadelphia Eagles secured a first-round LB in Round 3.

There’s a lot to like about Nakobe Dean as a prospect.

He reads a defense exceptionally well, has more than functional speed, and, most importantly of all, can make plays all over the field, which is really all that matters at the end of the day.

Over three years of on-field action in Athens, Dean put up 168 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and two interceptions on his way to a career-capstone win in the national championship game earlier this year. He’s a force against the run, an effective weapon versus both the pass and the passer, and the sort of player who can galvanize a defensive unit and help it to operate above the sum of its parts.

Really, it’s no wonder Darius Slay was tweeting about the pride of Horn Lake, Mississippi, in the middle of the draft and then taking at least partial credit for his ultimate selection; Dean is a very easy player to root for, as he’s a darn good player and person on and off the field and one of the smartest players Kevin Negandhi has ever met.

https://twitter.com/bigplay24slay/status/1520228293907292161?s=20&t=KlJ2lXkwoT9uDlXNxU9TPg

When Big Play Slay is on the recruiting trail, you know only good things can happen.

There’s no doubt about it; the Philadelphia Eagles got themselves an absolute steal in the middle of the third round. After trading half of their picks on Day 1 of the NFL Draft to secure the services of Jordan Davis and A.J. Brown, Howie Roseman was not only able to secure a potential replacement for Jason Kelce with the 51st overall pick but another immediate contributor from Georgia who will continue to terrorize offensive backfields alongside his college teammate for years to come. Forget the questionable measurables, forget his medical concerns; when Nakobe Dean takes the field, good things happen, and this fall, he’ll be flying around, blowing up opposing running backs in midnight green. Again, life is good.